House passes its version of farm bill

WASHINGTON — After a month of political gamesmanship to force votes on controversial immigration reform measures, the U.S. House narrowly approved its version of the 2018 farm bill, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, 213–211 in a re-vote of the same measure that failed in May.

“The only upside to its passage is that we’re one step closer to conference, where it’s my hope that cooler heads can and will prevail.”

Democrats unanimously opposed the measure, saying it would toss too many people off government food assistance. But 20 Republicans also voted no, giving GOP leaders a brief scare in what was their second attempt to pass a farm bill. In May, they suffered a setback when 30 GOP members opposed passage in an effort to force a vote on conservative immigration legislation.

SNAP benefits

The bill requires able-bodied adults aged 18-59 to work or participate in job training for 20 hours a week in order to receive food stamp benefits that average about $450 a month for a family of four. Government auditors estimate that in 10 years, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, caseload would shrink by about 1.2 million people in an average month if the bill becomes law.

The measure also limits circumstances under which families who qualify for other poverty programs can automatically be eligible for SNAP, and earmarks $1 billion to expand work training programs.

Farm groups react

American Farm Bureau Federation President, Zippy Duvall called passage of the House farm bill a big win for America’s farmers and said House members recognized the serious economic challenges facing U.S. farmers.

“This bill recognizes what is working well, but it also makes much-needed improvements in risk management and crop insurance programs at a time when farm-income levels have slumped to decade lows,” Duvall said.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson issued a statement his farm group was “disappointed by many components of the House’s version of the 2018 farm bill. Family farmers and consumers alike require strong safety nets, farm sustainability measures, and accessible markets.”

The House bill also includes funding for the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, both of which help support exports markets for U.S. goods. The programs are consolidated as the International Market Development Program.

Additionally, the measure contains improvements to the dairy safety net. The measure raises the maximum covered margin in the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) to $9/hundredweight and provides increased flexibility in the amount of milk that can be insured.

The bill also includes provisions to improve milk price risk management, reflecting an agreement reached between National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association on changes to federal milk marketing orders.

The conservation title will help producers access technical and financial assistance to carry out multiple conservation practices on their land and water. The bill includes an amendment to increase the emphasis on nutrient recovery technologies within the conservation title.

The bill also features helpful provisions intended to increase fluid milk consumption, including an amendment by Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, R-Pa., to expand the varieties of milk offered in schools.

Former Farm and Dairy Editor Susan Crowell was with the paper from 1985 to 2019, serving as its editor for 30 years. Raised on a farm in Holmes County, she is a graduate of Kent State University.You can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/scrowell and follow Farm and Dairy at http://twitter.com/farmanddairy. You can also find her on Facebook.